As Ainz prepared to return to Nazarick the guardians scurried quickly back to their usual locations. Where they 'had been' was gathered around the mirror of remote viewing to watch as their master changed human society on a seeming whim. "Every time I think I have approached him by a step, he raises his game by a hundred miles." Demiurge said with a sigh of surrender. "I will never truly match his greatness."

"You know now how I feel, when I faced defeat at the hands of the lizardmen." Cocytus said. "We can never truly match him, no matter how he tries to teach us."

"My love is truly a god, it is right that humans should worship him as we do." Albedo said.

"I don't like that woman though, daring to touch my beloved Ainz's feet, even to put one foot on her neck..." Shalltear snarled.

"It was a gesture of respectful submission, suitable to do for a supreme one." Sebas said with polite firmness.

"I wonder if he would like it if we did that..." Shalltear said, a lewd expression and a blush coming to her face as she brought her hands up to only partially cover that her mood had shifted.

"As if I would let you do that first you flat chested lamprey!" Albedo snapped, and the two guardians forgot their hedonistic thought as they turned on one another with snarls as if they were going to fight.

"Those humans better work hard to deserve all his kindness!" Aura said with the arrogant confidence of a young girl who knew just what she was talking about.

"S-sister, you're being mean! I'm sure they'll work hard for the last of the supreme beings!" Mare said, clutching his staff firmly to his chest.

"They had better." Demiurge said, "A few of them at least, seem to have some potential, if they can see his greatness as we do, as for the fools who get in his way, my happy farm can always use new subjects." He said with a savage grin. "But quickly, we have to get back to our tasks, he didn't forbid our watching, but we shouldn't push our luck." He added, and Albedo forgot her dispute with Shalltear as she cut the mirror off.

When Ainz came back through the gate with Leinas, he appeared in the throne room of Nazarick, and Leinas stood at the base of the steps ascending up to it as Ainz moved to his proper place on the throne of kings, she waited silently as he made his way up, memorizing every feature as he took his well deserved seat.

"Good to be home again." Ainz said, "Now Leinas, you've served me well on our little tour, and you'll accompany me again to the ball in three weeks, but in the meantime, well there is scant need of security here, so I have another task in mind for you."

Leinas knelt with head down. "Name your desire, and I will see it done my lord." She said.

"I will send you back to E-Rantel tomorrow...for now you may take quarters here, pack whatever things you'll need, including any arms and armor you think suitable to your use, but when you've prepared yourself and gotten rest, tomorrow when you return to E-Rantel you'll take up a position in charge of the city, you know the policies I intend to implement, and you'll see to their effective implementation. Also, before you leave Nazarick I want you to visit the library and borrow several books of strategy, you will need them in your capacity as a general, I will be placing a number of undead and demihumans from the Abelion Hills under your authority, and I want you well versed in the subject when the time comes."

Leinas looked dumbfounded. "Sire, I'm a good...and if I flatter myself...a great warrior, but I have never commanded an army before."

"Then now is the time to learn, isn't it?" Ainz said simply. "You needn't worry, the finest education available will be provided to you in order to ensure you are prepared for the task that lies ahead. You needn't fear, all will proceed according to my design, and I will forgive the mistakes that come in the process of learning." Ainz said in an unusually gentle voice.

Leinas kept her head lowered, "It will be as your majesty commands, to the heart of Kami Miyako and beyond." She said softly.

It was then that guardians and maids began to filter back into the audience chamber and the Sorcerer King gestured to a maid. "Escort General Rockbruise to some quarters overnight, then take her where she needs to go to be properly outfitted for both an education in command, and equipment for combat against skilled humans, whatever she needs, provide her." He said, and one of the stunning maids bowed and approached Leinas.

"This way please." She said, and Leinas stood, bowed, and turned to follow her.

"A productive journey sire?" Demiurge asked politely.

"Very much so, there will be much work for yourself and Albedo in the days to come, but at least the coming war will be well seen to, though I would like to see Aureole Omega in my chambers later, she will be tasked with overseeing the generals at large." Ainz said, though his expression was as fixed as ever, they could hear the wicked smile in his tone, and their expressions matched that tone as Ainz began to chuckle at the foolishness of the Slane Theocracy.

Three weeks later, after the massacre at Wenmark, Ainz found himself and Leinas standing in the greatest hall in E-Rantel, the wealthiest members of the city's new elites were there, these were the people who had risen to power and prominence after the old elite had fled the city, back when the massacre of the Katze Plains left the established elites fearful of what the undead would do to the residents. So many had sold their homes for next to nothing, or simply abandoned the homes entirely. Ainz snorted as he thought back to all the abandoned servants who had been simply left behind as nobles who sought to save themselves fled deeper into the Kingdom. Ainz had done the unexpected, confirming the abandoned persons to be in charge of the new estates, and when the previous owners tried to apply for compensation for their lost property, the Sorcerer King had turned them down flat saying, "You cannot expect to keep what you won't take risks for, be it servants or goods. The new owners are confirmed in their new estates, and I will not hear another petition on the matter."

Now a new class of wealthy people had emerged, many of them formerly minor functionaries, second sons or further removed who had previously had no hope of any gain, now become men of considerable wealth and influence within the growing city. They owed everything to the policies of the Sorcerer King, and that lent him further advantage in what he was to say.

The elf woman had turned out to be an excellent planner, he looked around and saw the golden light of countless candles, the subtle music of several players in the corner, a long table bedecked with the finest meal wealth could provide...but here within the hall there were almost no nonhumans, this was the place of wealth, Ainz had specifically chosen to segregate it for this occasion, a rare move for him, while keeping equally high quality food distributed in the city center where a large festival had been going for most of the day, while the ball had only been going on for a handful of hours.

He had moved through the city first, with Leinas following behind him, toasting the city and its hard working citizens, there the many races had mingled openly and with ever greater comfort, the leaders of the demihuman district had exercised great care to ensure they had a covert security force to rein in anyone who got to deep in their cups and became disruptive, this was more than a celebration of the Feast of Lemuria that the King had decreed, this was a public relations blitz on the part of the nonhuman residents of the city to ensure that they were seen as good neighbors, with Ainz having quietly extended small sums to would be merchants and craftsmen in the demihuman district to create wares expressly to sell and entice more humans to visit the area and increase the flow of goods, one enterprising demihuman of considerable strength had even created a 'bus service' out of a few re-purposed wagons, which took people from the human areas of the city into the demihuman district at almost no cost to shop for materials not readily available in the human area of the city.

As the ball went on, Ainz extolled the virtues of the city's labor and he made frequent references to his observations of wealth in the demihuman district, he was as subtle as he could be for most of the evening, before at last laying out his policy shifts for the city to expand its wealth, not through one large speech, but rather through individual conversations as he spoke with the new money elites.

"So your majesty intends to enrich the demihuman district?" A well dressed human said curiously.

"I plan to enrich my entire city." Ainz said diplomatically. "Whether you take advantage of that or not is up to you." He added pointedly.

The man shifted uncomfortably, "Forgive me sire, I realize that to you all races are equal...and I would never dream of disputing your laws, but please understand that for our entire lives, these were beings to fear, bearmen, nagas, vampires, they would kill us, eat us, destroy our homes, its hard for us to share a city, let alone do business or to visit their districts and put money into their enterprises." He swallowed hard and finished another cup of wine, he had obviously had several already, Ainz didn't mind, he wanted the wealthy to be drinking, it would loosen their tongues as well relax their minds, making them easier to influence.

An elf woman approached, "The same is true for us you know." She pointed to the severed part of her ears. "Humans did that to me, not because I was a threat, but because I was born an elf. To many of us, humans were the monsters to be feared. Yet here we are, all of us, and his majesty is offering us an opportunity for common excellence, surely you don't deny the benefit of ogre labor or the quagoa guards or the dwarf craftsmen or..." She was going to continue, but he shook his head.

"I don't, but this is a lot to take in, this isn't just cohabitation in the same city, this is rubbing elbows, putting a lot of trust in those who would have, just a few years ago, have killed me, then snapped my bones to suck the marrow out of them." He swallowed more wine. "It is a lot to ask."

Ainz nodded understandingly, "True, but it is necessary to ask it. If the city remains divided against itself, with an underclass of people who have no hope of raising their station in life, there will be ever increasing tensions and ever greater animosity, I wish to head off such social disruption by shifting to a new paradigm of economic prosperity. You have prospered because of the changes I implemented, I am now presenting a new opportunity with yet more new changes. Have I steered you wrong yet?" Ainz asked.

"No." He said firmly. "No you have not. Six years ago I was a head butler, now I own the estate I used to tend for someone else. Your majesty has confirmed me in a fine future, I do not believe you would propose this to ruin me, when you could do so simply by taking away what you had previously given." He drank again and looked down pensively.

"I admit my hostility is feeding my reluctance, but it is true that if I do not take this as an opportunity, not only might I be missing out on a chance at profit, but I may participate in creating more problems in the future." He paused and looked up from his pensive posture and met the Sorcerer King's eyes, "I will take part in these programs, I can afford to risk one coin in ten of my monthly income, and I will do so on ten would be businesses in the demihuman district under your lending match program. Tomorrow I will send one of my representatives to pick up a list of borrowers for me to match myself with, we'll establish a meeting with the city bank and work out the details."

"Good man." Ainz said, and moved on. That was how the evening went for Ainz, drawing on his experience as a salary man and getting people drunk as possible and feeling positive, baring their fears as he in turn tried to allay them, his charisma stat seemed to work on overtime, and most of the time he was successful in persuading them with minimal effort. The evening wore on and on, with short conversations going back and forth and Ainz talking them up about the future, some he noted...were very light drinkers, and that made it a little harder, but he also took note of such men and women for their apparent self control and quietly marked them down in his mental notebook. That was how the evening progressed, until Ainz called the entire ball to follow him out into the main square of the city for his closing speech.

Some of them had to stagger to make it...but they were in like company among the majority of the population, and when wealthy and less wealthy and downright poor were gathered together Ainz began to speak.

"In the ancient past, a mighty people held a great event known as the Feast of Lemuria, this event was meant to satisfy the dead, that the people go untroubled for another year, thus I have recreated and re-purposed this ancient rite, so that in moving among you I could know you better, learn your troubles, allay your fears, and do the work of a true king, which is to rule wisely and well and ensure the prosperity of my people. I have seen the greatness of this city, its humans, and its nonhumans alike, coming together into one body shows me not only how you are different, but by the many ways in which you are alike. You all of you desire a good future for yourselves and your heirs, to eat good food, to sleep safely in your own beds, and to never struggle to rest, kept up by the noise of an empty rumbling belly. By the policies I have laid out, I intend to solve the problems that are still in their early stages, thus these small problems, do not become large ones. Much will change, but it will change for the better, and as you come together as a city, like bricks and mortar, you will stick together and shield the bright futures you deserve, that your children deserve, whether you are a bearman, a lionman, a vampire, a human, an elf, a dwarf, a naga, it is only together that you can turn the present into the foundation of a golden age for the future. Your heirs will look back with pride on the way in which you came together, your heirs will say you faced the challenge of your past, and overcame it, that in your present, you chose to set aside old wrongs, and clasp hands of skin, fur, scale, undead, or whatever else you may be, and become as gods of wisdom in your own right, setting an example that all others who come after you must struggle to equal. As you do these things, know that I am rightly proud, and you have every right to share in that pride, in that self respect that is the foundation of all courage and integrity, both on the battlefield and off!" Ainz raised a cup high, and the gesture was imitated by his many citizens, "So drink well today, for tomorrow you will be working hard to build the future, and it is going to be very hard work! Hail to the people of E-Rantel!" He finished with a shout, which as answered in turn with...

"Hail the Sorcerer King! Long may he reign! Long may he reign! Long may he reign!" by the crowds, who found their unity in a shared allegiance to a ruler who backed them all.

When it was done, Ainz stepped through a gate, leaving Leinas to manage the remainder of the affairs of the city, as he returned to Nazarick.

Demiurge was waiting for him when he arrived. "Sire, its done."

Ainz felt confused for a moment, but covered by saying, "Oh good, how was it handled?" As he walked to the throne.

"Well sire, the Theocracy slipped their assassins into King Handor's chambers just like they did when assassinating King Caspond, and they butchered the fool in his bed, or so they thought."

"They thought?" Ainz asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Yes lord Ainz." Demiurge said, "I know how much he has displeased you in the past, so as soon as I found out they were going to kill him, I had him replaced with a doppelganger and brought the real one here, right about now, they're probably wondering why 'King Handor' hasn't come down from his room yet. They'll find the double there, beaten to death and cut to pieces, but the real one awaits your judgement, chained up with Neuronist and very confused. We have told him nothing for now."

"Whose contract was the first to 'succeed'?" Ainz asked, taking care to sound as if there were multiple possible sources.

"Were there more than two sire?" Demiurge asked with confusion?

"By my reckoning there were six." Ainz said, plucking the number out of the air.

"SIX!" Demiurge said, touching his forehead with a heavy sigh. "I missed FOUR possible sources...sire please...how can I be useful to you if I can see so little...all I saw was a possible Black Justice rogue and the Slane Theocracy! Please forgive my blindness!" He said.

"Think nothing of it Demiurge, I'm sure you will determine who the others are on your own, consider that practice for yourself, a learning opportunity if you will, and let me know when you've figured them out." Ainz said, thinking about what a terrible boss he was as he gave Demiurge the task of figuring out something he'd just made up to save his reputation.

Demiurge swallowed hard. "I will try harder sire." He said softly and with much chagrin.

"Now, who was actually successful?" Ainz said.

"The Slane Theocracy, and they've blamed Black Justice for the crime, they've also ensured that the council is packed with their own people, so they will choose the next king as well. With this, open war is only weeks away if not sooner, Neia Baraja is leading the surviving elves away from Wenmark, she will probably head towards Prart and try to gather support on the way. Remedios is in hot pursuit, it is chaos...glorious chaos...just as you planned sire, and from this chaos, you will rise to supremacy." Demiurge grinned happily. "I hope it does not displease you sire, but I have already ordered Generals Enri, Nimble, Leinas, & Zaryusu to have their soldiers assembled to formation and prepare to be summoned into Nazarick to meet Aureole, when night falls I will call in General Neia as well. I will give them recall scrolls to use when the declaration of war is made and the terms are to be set."

"Ahem, yes, but first, bring King Handor to me, I would have words." Ainz said with a grim voice.

Demiurge hummed a jaunty tune as he walked away, and he was still humming it when he came back dragging a fat and confused King Handor, who was naked save for his chains, and threw the shivering idiot at the foot of the steps leading up to the Sorcerer King's throne.

"You know who I am, I assume." Ainz said in a voice thick with hostility.

King Handor couldn't speak, but he nodded quickly as he pissed on the floor in terror.

"You stole from my largess, you opposed my followers, you were party to the effort to have them killed for no other reason that they were loyal to me, you sought to have your own king killed, you raped your helpless maids and abused your office for personal gain, both as a count and as a king. What do you have to say for yourself?" Ainz asked, just as Handor's bladder finished emptying itself on the stone floor.

"That..." Ainz said, pointing at the puddle, "is not a persuasive argument." His voice was thick with sarcasm as Handor's face turned red with shame.

"Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" Ainz asked again.

"Speak!" Demiurge said to the silent King, and compelled by the voice of the demon bard, Handor answered.

"I am the king, I am a noble, I can do whatever I want. I deserved the wealth I had, and much more besides, what else are the pointless lives of peasants for but to enrich their betters? What else is a woman for but to warm the beds of those who were born to own them?" Handor's truthful words spilled out of his unwilling lips, and Ainz sat through it and listened to very filthy, vile, evil word, and showed no emotion whatsoever until King Handor had finished speaking.

"Well there is good news, great news, best news...and sadly some bad news, King Handor." Ainz said, and confusion formed on the man's face.

"The good news is that you are here because the Slane Theocracy was going to kill you, they stacked your council with their own people, and were having you killed last night so they could blame Black Justice, place a more amenable puppet on the throne, and justify calling for the Theocracy to send soldiers to restore order against the rebels...my people...who killed King Handor...that's you...and try to do what you failed to do last time, but on a large scale. The great news is...they think they've succeeded, the assassins who 'killed' you were the same ones who you used to kill King Caspond, and they 'killed' your doppelganger instead. Before long, everybody will think you're dead, but you're not, and in the best news of all, you won't be dying for a very long time, indeed I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't die until a very...very...very old age." Ainz said with great enthusiasm in his voice.

King Handor's face went from shock and relief to ever greater heights of happiness, but then he remembered the bad news, and he asked..."What then is...the bad news?"

Ainz leaned forward in his throne and said, "You'll regret all that wonderful news I've just given you, every moment, every second, every hour, every day, for as long as you live, every single moment will be spent in madness inducing suffering, perhaps greater than what anyone else has ever suffered in my home, for all your crimes, you will provide countless entertainment, you will be skinned for scrolls, eaten from the inside out, have your favorite body parts cut off and healed, consumed, or be forced to consume them yourself, every innovation in torture will be tried out first on you, but you will not die, not from any of it, not from a single injury, you will be healed to start all over again, until your death which we will delay as long as we possibly can, you will beg for mercy and receive none, not until either your withered ancient body finally dies of old age, or I have forgotten why you are being punished, and I will never forget what you have done." Ainz said, prompting the naked monarch to shit on the floor in terror and scream for mercy.

"Take him to Neuronist Painkill, tell her to get creative, and take as much time as she wants, to do whatever she wants, along with the rest of her people, but to make sure he never stops screaming." Ainz said, as Handor got a jump on the screaming, when Demiurge, humming his jaunty tune again, grabbed the fallen King by his hair and began to drag him away.

Handor's eyes were wide with terror and pain as he was dragged away, the stone floor cool under his ass, his legs kicked wildly and his hands tore hopelessly at the impossibly strong grip holding him fast, his nails tore from his fingers and painful as they were, he barely noticed even as the blood ran down his skin, the rattling of the chains seemed loud as thunder even over his screams, but nothing changed but his level of exhaustion as he was taken ever deeper into Nazarick, until all he could do is lie limply and whimper in pain as he was returned to the dungeon...but not quite the same room, this one was larger, it had more...instruments in it, very unpleasant looking ones, some familiar, some foreign, none of them gave him hope or comfort.

He was secured to a table, having lost the power to struggle further, and his eyes adjusted further to the change in lighting, and then as the one called Demiurge left the room, Handor saw someone he knew. "Nigrand? Nigrand en Tusia?" He asked in shock, the man was a shadow, a shell of his former self, his eyes closed and he hung limply on a rack that had been tilted up. But when he heard his name, his eyes snapped open. "Count Handor?" He said in shock.

"King...King Handor." He replied.

"How long have I been here...?" He asked softly, his voice was hoarse and broken, and as Handor looked over his body, it was no wonder, scars, burns, missing fingers and...other appendages. Handor swallowed hard.

"Prart fell...maybe six months ago I guess." Handor said softly, "If you came here with its fall, then I suppose its been that long."

Nigrand began to sob like a broken child. "I'm not baron Nigrand now...my name is worm...I thought I'd been here years...that I was closer to death by a lot...six months...oh by the gods...how much more..." He broke down sobbing, further, and then the most disgusting creature Handor had ever seen came in.

"Hello, welcome to Nazarick, my name is Neuronist Painkill, and I have only one question." The disgusting slimy thing reached down and took up an unusual instrument. Handor's eyes went wide as the slimy hand moved from his chest downwards, it leaned in close and asked in an almost dusky voice..."Do you know what kidney stones are?"

King Handor could not answer through his screams, as he saw his terror reflected back at him through his old partner in crime, the broken body of Baron Nigrand, who had been as Handor was, and was now as Handor would soon be. And the screaming never stopped.